Free Republic

From the top of the Hooiberg hill you can see all of the tiny island of Aruba, which is little more than a sliver of white sand set in the sparkling blue of the Caribbean. But Jim Greene, perched half-way up, is not here as a sun-seeking tourist. He is looking for a body. Greene, who has come all the way from Colorado, has joined dozens of American volunteers scouring Aruba for teenager Natalee Holloway. 'This place would make a good dumping ground,' said Greene grimly, looking down from the Hooiberg at Red Cross workers surveying two murky ponds below...

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus are teaming up with conservative Republicans to push for the first major changes in the 2002 campaign-finance reform bill, most admitting that they made a mistake in voting for the bill three years ago. "If I had the chance to vote again, I wouldn't vote the way I voted," said Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, New York Democrat, who along with most of the CBC supported the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act after they were promised by Democratic leaders that the bill would not harm their constituents or funding bases in order to garner their...

When she became the first black woman to win the best actress Oscar, Halle Berry hoped she would be the first of many. Three years on, however, no woman has repeated her success. So Miss Berry, 38, has launched a savage attack on Hollywood producers and directors, accusing them of racial prejudice. "The struggle for a woman of colour to find good material is still very present, and it's a struggle I fight every day," she said. Miss Berry said there was such a shortage of decent roles on offer that she had resorted to buying the rights of books...

<p>A conference to motivate liberal activists to take the White House in November closed yesterday as the Rev. Jesse Jackson warned a crowd of nearly 2,000 people that there needs to be a clear ideological divide between President Bush and his challenger, Sen. John Kerry.</p>